Time Changes
by Oneturtledove
Summary: If the rumors had been true... IWTB semi-spoilers kind of.


Disclaimer: My lawyer went to lunch after he made sure I wasn't getting any financial gain from this. He's pretty confident that he can stay out for dinner too.

Spoilers: Uh... series?

A/N: I wrote this when there were those awful rumors going around about Mulder and Scully not having been together at the beginning of the movie. This is my explanation of how that could be. I'm just glad it didn't turn out that way. Hallelujah. Anyway, I wrote this about 2 weeks before the movie came out. My heart was in my tummy the whole time I had the pen in my hand, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do. And please excuse the Hollywood wedding/ bureau credit card. It's my favorite thing that I have ever thought of and I am sticking to it. Also I think it is very, very possible and in character for Scully and Monica to still be close friends. I mean, you don't deliver someone's baby and protect them from super soldiers and be there for them when their man leaves without keeping in contact. Just as a general rule.

* * *

Time Changes

2002

"I love you."

"I missed you."

"I could look at you forever."

"I could kiss you forever."

"I have something for you."

"What?"

He dug a ring out of his pocket.

"Mulder-"

"I said I wanted to get you one, and get you one I did."

"It's beautiful. How did you get it?"

"Magic."

She smiled as he put the ring on her finger.

"That was the longest wedding ceremony in the world."

"2 years," she commented, thinking about that night in Hollywood with the bureau credit card.

"2 years," he echoed, instead thinking about how long it had been since he'd had a quiet moment with just her. He'd been too confused and disjointed after his "death" to allow himself to reconnect with her. Now he could just be still, hold her, look in her eyes and see everything that he had missed.

"I love you, Dana."

"How much?"

"Up until now, scientists didn't think it was physically possible."

She giggled and kissed him.

* * *

2003

"I don't want to talk about him, Mulder!"

"He's my son too! I deserve to know about him!"

"If you wanted to be a part of his life, you should have stuck around and protected us. We'd be together and happy if you were half a man."

She wanted to stop the words, but all of the anguish she'd experienced in the last 11 years tumbled out.

"I hate you! I hate you more than I hate anyone or anything. You've murdered who I used to be. And you don't care! You don't care what I've had to sacrifice, or what I've had to endure. Emily had to die because of you. William is calling someone else mommy because you're selfish. I still cry everyday, and I can't even cry to you because you did this! I want to hurt you so bad, but I can't because I love you and I know this isn't really your fault. And I don't even mean what I'm saying!"

She collapsed onto the bed and buried her face in her hands.

"Baby," he started, crouching down in front of her. "I've been waiting on pins and needles for you to say that to me for the last year."

"You have?"

"Yeah. Does it feel better?"

"A little."

"Honey, you've got to realize that you can unload on me sometimes. You don't have to hide your tears because you're ashamed or your anger because you're out of control, or your smiles because you feel guilty. It's me and you babe. We have to do this together, or we're going to fall apart."

He climbed up next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I miss William."

"I know."

"He's two now."

"I know."

She fell into his arms and began to cry. He lay down on the bed with her, his tears coming quickly to join hers. They cried until they were spent, then fell asleep, curled up together.

* * *

2004

"Mulder, I don't know who I am anymore."

The confession pierced the dark summer night. He shifted next to her.

"You're Dana Katherine Scully, daughter of Bill and Maggie, sister of Bill Jr. Melissa, and Charlie. Mother of Emily and William."

"I'm not her anymore. Not Dana. Not Scully. I haven't been her for a long time."

"Well... you're... my wife," he said, for lack of a better platitude.

"And who are you?"

He remained silent. The running and changing names was catching up to them.

"So what should we do?"

"I don't know. We can't give up. They'll kill you. We can't keep doing this or we're going to kill each other or something."

"One more move."

"Where?"

"Canada. We can disappear there. And by now they'll know that we never went North. They're not going to be looking for us there. What do you think?"

She pondered his offer for several minutes before cuddling up to his side and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"As long as we're together... okay, one last move."

* * *

2005

"Honey, do you have minute to look at this before you go?" Mulder asked, handing Scully her shoes.

"What is it?"

"Well... it's... uh... it's what it is."

"No."

"What?"

"I'm done. It's over. I can't care about this stuff anymore. I don't want to have anything to do with it."

"I can't just leave it, Scully."

"You leave it or you leave me."

He was quiet.

"I'm going to work. You can be here when I get back and I'll know that you've finally finished with it. Or you can be gone and you won't hear from me again."

* * *

2006

She couldn't fall asleep without someone beside her. All those nights he'd cradled her against him, kissed her, told her how much he loved her- she'd grown accustomed to the comfort and intimacy. Now she was alone in a one bedroom apartment, never having felt more depressed in her life. This time it had been his choice to leave. She picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hey Dana."

"How'd you know it was me?"

"No one else calls me at 3 a.m."

"It's 3? Monica, I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay. I couldn't sleep either. Miss him?"

"Like crazy."

"Maybe you need to call him. Make sure he's okay. It's been over a year, Dana. In 14 years, this is the longest you've gone without talking. And before you were forced to not communicate. This time you chose it."

"I should never have given him an ultimatum."

"Yes you should have. You shouldn't have given him the one you did, or you shouldn't have gone through with it."

"Oh Mon... it hurts."

"I know. But the way I see it you have three options. The first is to carry on as you have, being miserable and unable to sleep and sad and crying. The second is to accept what you have done, move on, and only allow yourself to miss him on the big holidays. Or you can decide the time-out is over, and figure out a way to be with him."

She heard a muffled retort from Monica's end of the phone.

"John says a fourth option is to take some sleeping pills and quit calling us in the middle of the night. I hit him with a pillow."

"Tell him I'm sorry and I'll bring him brownies to make up for it."

"Dana, do you really miss Mulder, or do you miss the idea of him?"

"I'm in love with him, Mon. I have been for 10 years. I miss him."

"Is he better off without you?"

"Yes. I've never let him be who he is."

"That's not true and you know it."

"Monica, the last three years... I didn't let him talk about any of that stuff. He used to have such a beautiful passion. It was the thing I loved and the thing I hated, but I only ever showed him the hatred. I could have ruined him. Broken his spirit."

"Dana, at the end his passion for you was overshadowed by the passion for the truth. You wouldn't want to be with him when he's like that."

"He fell out of love with me."

"I didn't say that. He still loves you as much as he ever did. He just... he's got a one track mind."

"Never a truer word's been spoken."

"Dana, go to sleep."

"I will. Thanks, Mon."

"You're welcome. Love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

2007

"Mom, quit trying to set me up on dates!"

"I just want you to be happy, honey."

"First of all, mom, I'm still married. Second of all, I have so much baggage, I would sink any kind of relationship I could ever hope to create. I wouldn't bring anything positive to a relationship. Thirdly, a date with a stranger isn't going to make me happy. My husband is. I want my husband back."

"Some husband," Bill muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up Bill."

"Dana-"

"I know how you feel already. Leave it alone. Please."

"He doesn't care about you."

"I know it seems like that. You're probably more right than I want to admit."

"Get over him."

"You don't just get over someone you've been in love with for your entire adult life."

"You need to try."

"I am."

"I hate to see you like this."

"I know. I hate it too, but this is where I am right now."

* * *

2008

Eight women all abused in the same manner. No trace evidence found, no connection between the victims, no suspect. All they had was an old man pretending to be psychic. It was a little too Luther Lee Boggs for her taste. Scully was at a loss in her consultations, and she'd be wrong to say it wasn't driving Agent Whitney crazy. There was only one thing either one of them could think of.

"Mulder, it's me."


End file.
